Ladies&#39; stretchable seamless stockings



g: 1, 1967 L. M. CALDWELL 3,333,442

LADIES STRETCHABLE SEAMLESS STOCKINGS Filed Feb. 28, 1966 (P121012 ART) INVENTOR. LEAZAR M. CALbwE-LL ATTORNEY-S United States Patent O 3,333,442 LADIES STRETCHABLE SEAMLESS STOCKINGS Leazar M. Caldwell, Concord, N.C., assignor to Wiscassett Mills Company, a corporation of North Carolina Filed Feb. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 530,429 1 Claim. (Cl. 66--202) This invention relates to improved stretch yarns and ladies improved seamless stretch stockings made there from.

The improved stretch yarn of this invention enables the use of a preferred narrow boarding form which cannot be used for boarding seamless stockings made with the usual type of stretch yarn.

The improved seamless stretch stocking of this invention made with the improved stretch yarn and boarded on a narrow leg form, has a narrow or trim ankle and foot and a long leg that provides a slim appearance of the type commonly produced heretofore in conventional, non-stretch stockings, but not obtainable heretofore in seamless stretch stockings.

Conventional seamless stretch stockings are made with monofilament nylon yarn of 7 or denier that is known as type 66 nylon. This yarn is first processed to render it suitable for producing stretch stockings, by presetting the yarn with heat, and then twisting the yarn on a conventional uptwister machine to give the yarn sufiicient liveliness or torque so that the stitches of the stocking will distort and incline when the stocking is relaxed. When this torque type stretch yarn is knitted to form the seamless stretch stocking, the knitted stocking is usually boarded on a wide leg form and the resultant boarded stocking has a wide ankle, a short leg, and a stubby foot which is commonly known as a club foot. The preferred narrow leg forms cannot be used satisfactorily for boarding of the conventional stretch stockings because the heatsetting and twisting of the monofilament type 66 nylon yarns removes a large portion of the shrinkage therefrom. Thus, the heat-set and twisted monofilament type 66 nylon torque yarn shrinks less than the untwisted nylon yarn of a non-stretch stocking, and a seamless stretch stocking made from this twisted torque yarn will not shrink or contract suificiently during boarding to conform to the narrow ankle and foot type of boarding form. The compulsory use of the wide form results in the unattractive club foot and wide ankle seamless stocking.

In accordance with the present invention, the disadvantages and limitations of the prior procedures and resulting undesired product have been overcome and an attractive narrow ankle and narrow foot seamless stretch stocking has been obtained for the first time. This has beeen accomplished by using a different form of nylon and processing the yarn in a dilferent manner to avoid reducing the contraction or shrinkage capacity of the yarn and seamless stocking knitted therefrom, and boarding of this stocking on a narrow form.

The difierent form of nylon used in accordance with this invention is known as type 6 nylon, and the processing, i.e., heat-setting and twisting, of this yarn is carried out on a machine known as a false-twist" machine. The type 6 nylon is a fiber-forming substance of any long-chain synthetic polyamide having recurring amide groups as an integral part of the polymer chain. This type 6 nylon is similar chemically to the conventional twist type 66 nylon, but has a higher shrinkage than the type 6-6 nylon.

A false-twist machine of a suitable type is produced by the Lessona Corporation of Cranston, KL, and known as the 553 stretch yarn machine. A machine of this type is disclosed in Patent No. 3,152,436, issued Oct. 13,

1964. The type 6 nylon yarn is held under tension while it is being heated and false-twisted so that only a small portion of the shrinkage is removed therefrom. This type of false-twist machine is commonly used for producing multifilament stretch yarns for use in sweaters, knit shirts and garments, other than ladies stockings. On the other hand, monofilament hosiery yarn for use in the production of conventional stretch stockings is commonly produced on an uptwister machine.

Other than the narrower or trim ankle and foot features of the stretch stocking of the present invention, it corresponds generally to a stretch stocking produced from monofilament torque yarn which is knitted in alternating courses with yarns of opposite torque and in which the stitches incline in opposite directions to produce the stretch characteristic. Further details of a stretch stocking of this type, but not embodying the improvements of the present invention, may be found in Patent No. 2,771,759, issued Nov. 27, 1956.

Details of the invention will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a ladies boarded seamless stretch stocking of the type currently being produced and illustrating the short leg, thick ankle and short foot, which has become known as the club foot configuration; and

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of a ladies boarded seamless stretch stocking produced in accordance with the present invention and illustrating the relatively long leg, narrow or thin ankle and relatively narrow and long foot, the configuration of this stretchable stocking being the same as a conventional non-stretchable stocking.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the conventional seamless stretch stocking has the club foot appearance and includes a turned welt 10, a shadow welt 1.1, a short shaped leg portion 12 and a foot including a heel pocket 13, an instep portion 14 and a toe pocket 15. The stocking shown in FIGURE 1 is illustrated in relaxed flattened condition, as it would appear in finished condition after the final boarding process and after it is removed from the wide boarding form. The turned welt 10 and shadow welt 11 are knit in a conventional manner of any desired type of yarn.

The leg 12 and instep portion of the foot 14 are knit in the conventional manner with an alternating pattern of lively 15 denier monofilament nylon type 66 yarns which have opposite torque of sufiicient force to distort the stitch loops and provide stretchability in this portion of the stocking. The torque is provided in the yarn by the conventional process of heat-setting and then twisting on an uptwister.

The stocking of the present invention (FIGURE 2) includes a turned welt 20, a shadow welt 21, a leg portion 22, and a foot including a heel pocket 23, instep portion 24, and a toe pocket 25. The leg portion 22 and instep portion 24 are knit of oppositely false-twisted monofilament, 15 denier type 6 nylon yarns having a shrinkage capacity of at least 13 to 15% prior to being false-twisted. The type 6 nylon used in the stocking of the present invention should have an elongation characteristic of about 32 to 34%, prior to being false-twisted.

Liveliness and torque are applied to the monofilament nylon 6 yarn by the false-twisting operation. In this falsetwisting operation, one yarn is passed upwardly through a hollow spindle rotating in one direction and the yarn is heat-set below the spindle to thus provide a torque in one direction, for example in a Z direction. Another yarn is passed upwardly through a hollow spindle rotating in the opposite direction while the yarn is heat-set below the spindle so that this second yarn has a torque in the opposite direction, for example in an S direction.

. After knitting, the stocking is then finished in the conventional manner by seaming'or looping the toe and dyeing and boarding. However, by knitting with a falsetwisted type 6 nylon yarn it isnow possible to board this new stretchable seamless stocking on a narrow boarding foarm so that it has substantially the same configuration as a conventional, non-stretchable stocking with a relatively long slim appearing leg, narrow ankle and relatively long slender foot, as shown in FIGURE 2,

The difierences between the conventional type stretch stocking (FIGURE 1) and the stretch stocking of the present invention (FIGURE 2)'are more evident by comparing corresponding measurements of the two. The following measurements were made with the stocking laid out in side-by-side relaxed andflattened condition. Across the ankle at A, the conventional stretch stocking measures 3% inches While the stretch stockingof the present invention measures 3 inches across the ankle at A, i.e., approximately 19% narrower. The foot of the conventional stretch stocking, from the heel gore line to the toe pocket gore line at B, measures 4 inches while the foot of the stretch stocking of the present invention measures 4% inches along the corresponding line B, i.e., approximately 17% longer. The leg of the conventional stocking from the bottom edge of the shadow welt 11 to the top of the heel gore line, along'the line C, measures 15% inches, while the leg of the stretch stocking of the present invention measures 17 inches along the corresponding line C, i.e., approximately 8% longer. Thus, by comparing the measurements of the two stockings, represented in FIGURES 1 and 2, it is apparent that the ankle of the present stretch stocking is narrower, the foot is longer and narrower, and the leg is longer, so that the configuration of the present stretch stocking is substantially the same as a conventional finished nonstretchable stocking while the conventional stretch stocking has the unattractive club foot appearance.

The stretchabilityof the stretch stocking of the present invention has been compared with the conventional stretch stocking, knit of conventionally twisted nylon 66 yarn. It was found that the present stretch stocking has increased stretchability.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only, and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise, except as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A ladies stretch seamless boarded stocking which is characterized by a narrow ankle and a long slim foot and leg in contrast to the wide ankle and short stubby club foot and leg of the usual seamless stretch stocking, the width of the ankle being not substantially greater than one-fifth 0/5) the length of the leg, and the foot being at least one and one-half (1%) times as long as the width of the ankle, said narrow ankle and long slim foot and leg being knitted of false-twisted torque thermoplastic monofilament type 6 nylon yarns which have an unusually high shrinkage capacity that permits boarding of the stocking on a substantially narrower boarding form than is possible for said usual seamless stretch stockings so that the finished boarded stocking has said narrow ankle and long slim foot and leg.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,617,564 11/1952 Vogt et a1 233 2,711,627 6/1955 Leath et a1 66--178 X 2,714,757 8/1955 Leath et al 66-178 X 2,714,812 8/1855 Leath et al. 2,717,486 9/ 1955 Comer. 2,736,945 3/1956 Burleson et al. 66178 X 2,755,616 7/ 1956 Weller. 2,771,660 11/1956 Ephland. 2,771,733 11/1956 Leath et al. 2,771,756 11/1956 Burleson et el. 2,771,757 11/1956 Burleson et al. 2,771,758 11/1956 Weller. 2,771,759 11/1956 Leath et al. 57157 2,771,760 11/1956 Burleson. 2,772,191 11/1956 Burleson. 2,778,187 1/1957 Leath et al. 2,800,780 7/1957 Chivington. 2,832,125 4/1958 Knohl 66-178 X 2,841,971 7/1958 Bird et al. 2,891,376 6/1959 Stoddar et a1 5734 2,914,226 11/1959 Russell 22375 2,952,116 9/1960 Burleson 57-157 2,987,869 6/1961 Klien 57--157 X 2,990,087 6/1961 Brewin et a1 223--76 3,022,926 2/1962 Bailey 223--76 3,066,840 12/1962 Albertson 223--76 3,069,837 12/1962 Olson 57-157 3,091,908 6/1963 Carruthers 57157 X 3,108,430 10/1963 Kobayashi 28-72 X 3,131,840 5/1964 Berger et al 22376 3,142,423 7/1964 Carter 22376 3,270,492 9/1966 Fitton et a1 5734 X 3,284,996 11/1966 Fujii 57--157 FOREIGN PATENTS 940,971 10/ 1963 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

R. FELDBAUM, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,333,442 August 1, 1967 Leazar M. Caldwell It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line 6, for "foarm" read form line 14, for "stocking" read stockings column 4, line 14, for "233-75" read 223-75 line 23, for "et el" read et a1 line 33, for "Stoddar" read Stoddard line 49, for

"940 ,971" read 940 ,691

Signed and sealed this 20th day of August 1968.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

